Issue No 1, 2014

The Principal’s Foreword Dear Outramians,

At Outram Secondary School, we believe that every Outramian is important and valuable, and focus on providing a Student-Centric, Values-Driven education. We ultimately aim for every student, regardless of ability or background, to be an engaged learner, allowing you to discover your interests and talents over a wider range of disciplines so as to make connections across multiple disciplines and make meaning of your world.

Allow me to elaborate on these areas. Firstly, for every student to be an engaged learner, Outram Secondary School aims to nurture you to be a motivated learner, to enjoy learning and go on to fulfil your potential. The school offers opportunities for you to pursue your passion and interest in sports through innovative programmes such as the Outram Sports Enrichment and Education Programme, and business-related subjects through the school’s Business & Enterprise (B&E) curriculum. At the same time, your teachers continue to enhance their pedagogical approaches used in the classroom to better engage you through the use of inquiry-based learning, field-based learning and ICT-enabled learning.

In catering to the diverse interests and learning needs of Outramians, multiple pathways and options are made available. You are given the opportunity to undertake the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) – MYOB certification in Level 2 and Level 3 Computerised Accounting. In enhancing the learning of Chinese Language and Chinese culture, you have the opportunity to learn Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Martial Arts. The OSS Sports Education Programme (SEP) is a new initiative pioneered by Outram in 2012 to develop students passionate in sports. Republic Polytechnic has also come on board to offer Advanced Elective Modules (AEMs) in Sports for students enrolled in the SEP.

In enabling all Outramians to succeed in the 21st century, the school continues to strengthen the Character and Citizenship Education by making values and character development systematic and pervasive in our total curriculum programme. Besides ensuring rigour in the academic programmes, the school places a strong emphasis on developing Character and Citizenship Education, the Arts for Life Programme, the Sports for Life Programme, Values in Action projects as well as a wide range of co-curricular and enrichment activities. These are designed to develop leadership and strength of character in you while nurturing your talents and interests. I strongly encourage you to participate actively in the various performances, competitions, work experiences and exchange programmes with countries such as China and Japan that we have to help enrich your learning experience while you are at Outram.

There have been two distinctive programmes accorded to the school by the Ministry of Education since 2013 – (1) ‘Sports for Life’ as the Learning for Life Programme (LLP) and (2) ‘Business & Enterprise’ as the Applied Learning Programme (ALP). Our comprehensive ‘Sports for Life’ LLP allows self-discovery, builds character, hones values, provides opportunities for you to relate to others, and develops a sense of empathy and care through experiences in real-life activities. Our ALP in Business and Enterprise enables you to connect knowledge across subject disciplines in applying to real-life applications, see the values and relevance of academic learning to real life, and stimulate your interest to learn. At Outram Secondary School, we strive to give you a rich and meaningful learning experience by leveraging on the school’s values of SPIRIT - Sense of Belonging, Perseverance, Integrity, Responsibility, Industriousness and Teamwork. Through your active involvement in the various aspects of school life, I am confident that you will be imbued with SPIRIT so as to develop the capacity to pursue your passions, find purpose in all that you do and learn to live a good life.

Loh Cheung Ming

Mr Loh Cheung Ming

Lab

or O

mn

ia V

inci

t

2 | OUTRAM Times

NU

RTU

RIN

G E

NTR

EPR

ENEU

RS

Business and Enterprise Bazaars(Applied Learning Programme)

Friendship/Valentine’s Day Bazaar

To provide an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills learnt in lessons to the real world

context, students set up stalls selling items for the Friendship/Valentine’s Day Bazaar. The project allowed all students to experience the buying and selling of merchandise and apply the marketing skills concepts learnt in class. The bazaar saw a rousing response from the student population.

Share & Care Bazaar

Afund-raising project, The Share and Care Bazaar, was held from 21 to 23 January 2014. The primary objective

was to raise funds for Chinese New Year goodie bags for senior citizens. Students from the Enterprise Club, Sec 3/6, Sec 4/3A and Sec 4/6 set up stalls during the 2-day bazaar and raised a total of $277.

Student Reflections

Student Reflections

“Through this bazaar, I learnt that it is crucial to have good leadership so that the stall can be run properly. It is also very important to be flexible and adapt to the situation. For example, we must know when to reduce prices when sales were not good.” Mai Yuyan of the Enterprise Club.

“I have learned that effective communication and team work are very important. As a leader, I need to be responsible for my team and ensure that everyone knows what to do during the bazaar.” Yang Chen of Sec 4/6.

“Setting up a business is not easy. We had to take risks and do our market research first before ordering the merchandise from our suppliers. During the bazaar, I realised that not all customers like what we sell and I learnt the importance of pricing strategies as it differentiates us from our competitors.” Sarah Madinah Bte Yosri of Sec 4/6

“Service and advertisement are two very important things in sales. It is important to provide the customers with good service. As for advertisement, we must be able to think of various ways to promote our products so as to attract customers.” Thinn Moe Moe Han of the Enterprise Club.

“The opportunity to set up a booth to sell our merchandise from Shanghai was a good experience. We have to plan well in order to work within our budget and not overspend. I have learned that customer service is extremely important during the bazaar.” Sharifah Naqia of Sec 4/6.

NU

TUR

ING

WO

RLD

-REA

DY

CIT

IZEN

S

3 | OUTRAM Times

Global Experience Programme

The Global Experience Programme 2014 took itself to China, Chengdu.

Since 2012, Outram Secondary School has had a strong partnership with No. 5 Deyang Middle School. 22 Secondary Two students were selected to participate in this 10-day cultural immersion programme.

In Chengdu, students experienced authentic outdoor learning with visits to the Panda Research Base, the Science and Technology Museum, Sichuan Earthquake Site and the San Xing Dui Museum. At No. 5 Deyang Middle School, the students harnessed the advantages of ICT to maximise their learning. Students had to produce a travelogue introducing the various educational learning sites they had visited. They recorded their insights with the objective of bringing a piece of Chengdu back to Singapore.

The students also had the opportunity to interact with students of No. 5 Deyang Middle School through cultural lessons. There was a strong exchange of school values, learning habits and lifestyles. Both Outram and Deyang students have become good buddies through this interaction.

In the local segment of the Global Experience Programme, the Secondary Two Express students ventured out of school and visited several destinations to gather information for their travelogues. Places of heritage like Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam, as well as popular tourist attractions like Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Flyer, were on the itinerary. The students likewise made use of ICT to produce travelogues which introduced Singapore to their target audience.

All in all, the lessons learnt during the Global Experience Programme will definitely carry these students through future learning journeys.

4 | OUTRAM Times

AC

HIE

VIN

G E

XCEL

LEN

CE

Rock Climbing Achievements

National Schools Boulder Competition (NSBC), 21 - 23 March 2014Outram Secondary School participated in the first ever National Schools Boulder Competition held this year, and performed exceptionally in various categories, clinching numerous top 10 positions.

French School Climbing Competition, 28 – 29 March 2014We also took part in the French School Climbing Competition, a lead and boulder competition. Over 200 students from 10 local and international schools participated in this much-anticipated event, during which competitors had to climb a 12-metre high indoor artificial wall.

Climax@Outram 2014, 4 – 5 April 2014Climax@Outram is an annual event organised by Outram Secondary School. This year, we once again attracted more than 100 competitors from various primary and secondary schools. We were honoured to have Mr Adriel Choo, winner in the 2013 and 2014 Master’s Round at the annual Girivihar Climbing Competition in Mumbai as our guest of honour. Our climbers did us proud in this competition and attained four Overall Champion titles.

National Schools Sports Climbing Competition (NSSCC), 12, 13 & 19 April 2014This year, we also took part in the annual National Schools Sport Climbing Championships (NSSCC), organised by the Singapore Mountaineering Federation.

C Division Girls (Overall school placing: 2nd)

B Division Girls (Overall school placing: 1st)

Name Position Name PositionChloe Hoo Min Yi, Sec 2/5

1st Yang Lijia, Sec 3/4 1st

Nurul Azraney, Sec 1/1

4th Tan Yu Lin, Sec 5/2

3rd

Low Xiu Wen Selina, Sec 4/5

3rd

C Division Boys (Overall school placing: 1st)

B Division Boys (Overall school placing: 2nd)

Jeremy Wong Fang Jie, Sec 2/2B

2nd Verosil Paul Justin Bayo, Sec 3/3

2nd

C Division Girls, Difficulty C Division Boys, DifficultyName Position Name PositionNurul Azraney, Sec 1/1

2nd Jeremy Wong Fang Jie, Sec 2/2B

3rd

Chloe Hoo Min Yi, Sec 2/5

4th Muhammad Shahrul Nizam B R, Sec 2/4

4th

C Division Girls, Speed C Division Boys, SpeedJoylene Lim Jia Hui, Sec 2/6

2nd Wong Fang Jie Jeremy, Sec 2/2B

2nd

Chloe Hoo Min Yi, Sec 2/5

3rd

B Division Girls, Difficulty B Division Boys, DifficultyName Position Name PositionYang Lijia, Sec 3/4 2nd Emmanuel Ryan

Paul, Sec 3/33rd

Tan Yu Lin, Sec 5/2 4th

B Division Girls, Speed B Division Boys, SpeedTan Yu Lin, Sec 5/2 1st Emmanuel Ryan

Paul, Sec 3/31st

Nadirah Bte Mohamed Azmie, Sec 3/3

4th Dhiyaul B Mohd Hasmawi, Sec 4/3A

3rd

David Jhon Cagaral Reyes, Sec 3/6

4th

C Division Girls (Overall school placing: 1st)

C Division Boys (Overall school placing: 1st)

Name Position Name PositionNurul Azraney Bte Azman, Sec 1/1

2nd Jeremy Wong Fang Jie, Sec 2/2B

1st

Reinarethna Selvaraju, Sec 2/6

3rd

B Division Girls (Overall school placing: 1st)

B Division Boys (Overall school placing: 1st)

Nadirah Bte Mohamed Azmie, Sec 3/3

2nd David Jhon Cagaral Reyes, Sec 3/6

1st

Yang Lijia, Sec 3/4 4th Emmanuel Ryan Paul, Sec 3/3

3rd

Ng Zheng Xiong Jovan, Sec 4/5

4th

C Division Girls C Division Boys Name Position Name PositionSiti Sofea Bte Azman, Sec 2/1

4th Muhammad Hakim B Abdul Aziz, Sec 1/2

4th

Recently, Outram Secondary School participated in four rock climbing competitions.

5 | OUTRAM Times

AC

HIE

VIN

G E

XCEL

LEN

CE

The National Inter-School Water Polo Championships began on 20 February 2014 for the ‘C’ Division. Our ‘C’ Division boys entered the competition with only nine players, a team considered

to be under strength compared to other schools with 15 members. Even though our ‘C’ Division team comprised of boys with no prior competition experience, they had trained very hard over the past year and gave every school a good fight. Although they did not bring home the winning cup, their will and hunger to improve impressed everyone. Keep it up, boys!

The ‘B’ Division team (above), on the other hand, entered the competition on 25 Febuary 2014 as the defending champion. Prior to the competition, the team had trained twice a day during the school holidays and also took part in tournaments in Malaysia and Thailand to prepare for the competition. After winning Raffles Institution 6-5, Hwa Chong Institution 7-3, Saint Andrew’s 15-4 and ACS (Barker Road) 8-6, the team qualified for the gold medal playoff against ACS (Independent) for the second consecutive year. 200 Outramians and 30 teachers witnessed the exciting match at MOE (Evans) Road swimming pool in which the Secondary 3 and 4 boys fought hard, but eventually emerged first runner-up.

Two thumbs-up for the team’s effort and hard work!

National Inter-School Water Polo Championships

6 | OUTRAM Times

NU

RTU

RIN

G A

LL-R

OU

ND

ERS

The National Basketball Championships 2014 began on 17 January 2014. In the preliminary round, the basketball players of the ‘B’ Division team played four schools and were undaunted in the face

of stronger opponents like Queenstown Secondary School and Henderson Secondary School. Their undying spirit is commendable indeed.

The team did well as they had held their heads up high, playing their best in every game and displaying excellent teamwork and perseverance, even when the going got tough. Keep going, boys!

The ‘C’ Division netball team began their season on 20 January 2014. With a team of eight players, the team played brilliantly throughout the season and was eventually crowned one of the top

eight teams in the ‘C’ Division. The team had trained very hard in the past year for this season and their never-say-die spirit was indeed impressive. Well done, girls!

The ‘B’ Division netball team played their first match of the season on 21 January 2014. In the preliminary round, the girls fought fiercely against every school and gave the defending champion, CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) a tough fight. The team performed beyond everyone’s expectations and did Outram proud. The teachers and the ‘B’ Division team are proud of the progress the team has made over the past years, and the tenacity and determination displayed throughout the season makes them a role model for all.

National Schools ‘B’ Division Basketball Championships

South Zone Inter-School Netball Championships

7 | OUTRAM Times

CU

LTIV

ATIN

G S

.P.I

.R.I

.T

Chinese New Year Celebration

Cross Country

PAWS AND FURS @ TANJONG PAGAR

OSecondary School’s Cross Country was held on 21 February 2014 at Bedok Reservoir. The guest-of-honour for the event was Mr Ramon

Cruz, Vice-President of the Parent-Teacher Association. All present were inspired by the speech Mr Ramon gave before the start of the event. There were several races: ‘B’ Division Boys, ‘B’ Division Girls, ‘C’ Division Boys, C Division Girls, and also a staff race. All boys ran 4.3 km while the girls and staff ran 3.3km. The students participated fervently and cheered heartily for the prize winners. The school’s SPIRIT values were clearly shown, and the cross country was a success. We congratulate our Cross Country winners:

‘C’ Division Girls Champion: Chen Jinshu (Anderson house), 19 mins 11 sec‘C’ Division Boys Champion: Ajey Jeyakumar (Young House), 20 mins 28 sec‘B’ Division Girls Champion: Cheong Kerri (Buckley House), 18 mins 37 sec‘B’ Division Boys Champion: Lie Jia Jiang (Anderson House), 17 mins 5 secStaff Race (Male Under 45): Mr Damien Ho, 14 mins 3 secStaff Race (Male Above 45): Mr Teng Chew Huan, 18 min 4 secStaff Race (Female Open): Mdm Irene Chew, 18 min 24 sec

13 of our lower secondary students participated enthusiastically in Paws and Furs @ Tanjong Pagar, a

pet sculpture competition held on 10 November last year. Although they only had two weeks to prepare, the students were able to exercise their creativity in designing and creating pet sculpture using recycled plastic bottles. During the project, they learnt the school’s SPIRIT values through their interaction with each other, and everyone contributed their best in collecting, cleaning, cutting and glueing the bottles together. It was a truly rewarding project, and two of our teams clinched the top two positions with their sculptures of a rabbit and a pair of terrapins.

On 30 January 2014, the eve of Chinese New Year, the school was treated to a Chinese New Year concert. Senior citizens from the Kreta

Ayer Seniors Activity Centre were invited to join us in our celebration. The students were thrilled by an entertaining performance by a Lion Dance troupe, followed by our very own video production comprising Chinese New Year songs and New Year greetings from Outram teachers.

Guests, teachers and students also put up many delightful performances. There were dances, songs and Chinese orchestra performances, as well as a word game hosted by the God of Fortune.

The celebration ended on a high with group singing, followed by refreshments and Yusheng for our guests and staff.

8 | OUTRAM Times

A S

TUD

ENT-

CEN

TRIC

ED

UC

ATIO

NScience Activity Days

Outram Project-Based Experiential Learning (OPEL)

In March 2014, we held our annual Science Activity Days for all Secondary One to Three students to inculcate a spirit of

scientific inquiry and independence in them. The activities also allowed students to explore scientific concepts and apply their new understanding to solve novel problems in life.

The science activities included an Egg Drop Competition, a Bridge Building Competition and a Recycled Raft Competition. Students enjoyed learning about science through these hands-on activities, in which they exhibited teamwork, perseverance and industriousness. Many put in hours of research to complete their tasks.

It was also heartening to see bonding taking place between form teachers, subject teachers and students as they worked together on the activities.

From 10 to 13 March 2014, we held our annual Outram Project-Based Experiential Learning (OPEL) week for all Secondary One to Three students. During this time, the students worked in teams on

projects featuring elements of Business & Enterprise, and each team delivered a final product, written report and oral presentation. There was a different theme for each level: Local Entrepreneurs (Secondary One), Branding and Marketing (Secondary Two), and Social Entrepreneurship (Secondary Three). Through this project work, students were exposed to elements of entrepreneurship and business, and became more confident and adept in their communication skills, no doubt benefitting from being given the chance to go beyond a typical classroom lesson.

The Ministry of Education mooted the idea of the After School Engagement (ASE) after observing

the number of students who remained in school with their peers instead of heading home at the end of each school day. Many students also took to hanging out at nearby shopping malls or parks to pass time.

In line with MOE’s vision, Outram Secondary worked with various stakeholders and then started our own ASE centre to provide students with a safer environment to be with their friends and at the same time, allow them to engage in healthier activities such as sports and games.

After months of planning and preparation, the centre was finally opened on the 28 Februrary 2014. In the centre, there are Kinect sets, board games and story books to occupy students.

We were honoured to have Mr Jai Prakash, General Manager of the Social Services Office from the

Ministry of Social and Family Development, Inspector Lim Kian Soon from the Singapore Police Force and Mr Loh, our Principal to co-open the ASE centre.

The ASE will be run and managed by students under the supervision of teachers. We aim to include as many students as possible in our ASE activities to create a better learning environment for all.

After School Engagement (ASE) Centre in Outram